Ukraine adopts 'historic' law to ban Russia-linked minority church

FILE PHOTO: Ukrainian police officers stand next to St. George's Cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, accused of being linked to Moscow, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Lviv, Ukraine April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Roman Baluk/File Photo

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukrainian lawmakers on Tuesday passed a law envisaging a ban on the activities of a Russia-linked branch of the Orthodox church, paving the way for a historic rupture with an institution that Kyiv has accused of complicity in Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

A majority of Ukrainians are Orthodox Christians but the faith is split into one branch traditionally tied to the Russian Orthodox Church - Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), and an independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine, recognised by the world Orthodox hierarchy since 2019.